Hint of mint salmon

Boy last night was I exhausted. I was up way way too late on Saturday, just doing this and that and the next day I had promised the kids I would take them to the zoo. Come 7:30am, I was buddled in bed - just way way to early

for me on a Sunday. I really wanted to bail out, my responsible other half reminded me how disappointed the kids would be. I finally agreed! The Bronx zoo, if you have not visited it is really a wonderful place to be. Just has an awful and overpriced cafeteria! I understand people do not go to the zoo to eat. Well, by 4pm, we were all exhausted. All except Dad took a nap in the car. I came in and whipped up a really quick dinner. I was too tired to even take proper pictures. I made salmon with a really simple horseradish and mint dressing. Did I tell you that I cannot live without my food processor? I served this on cous-cous. Which actually was on the list to make for a while, ever since Deepta heard that her Dad had some for lunch, she is convinced it is the thing to eat! She likes the name - here is my fish.
Hint of mint salmon
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves 3-4 (it works for our family of 2 grown-ups and 2 kids)
Ingredients
1 small red onion
1 large piece of peeled ginger
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
1/3 cup mint chutney
2 dried red chillies
Salt to taste
1 lbs sock-eye salmon
1/3 cup olive oil
Lime or lemon slices
Method of preparation
1. Process the onion, ginger, horseradish, chillies and salt into a smooth puree.
2. Apply this on the salmon and set aside for 5-7 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet. Place the salmon on a single layer and cook for about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with lime.
Deepta's Arabian Cous-Cous (Hey you have to learn to sell!)
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup tri-colored couscous
1/2 tablespoon salted butter
1/3 cup orange juice
1.5 cups of water
2 tablespoons organic dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Additional salt if needed.
Method of Preparation
1. Place all the ingredients in a rice cooker and stir lightly and let this cook till done.
2. In 15 minutes, you get soft fluffy couscous.
Dinner in 30 minutes!
I am sending this to Indrani and Appayan, who is hosting a really neat event spotlighting fish.

Modak - Rice dumplings stuffed with coconut

I want to play too, I kept thinking everytime I saw the Indian Cooking Challenge I wanted to join however I was concerned about whether I would be able to do the posts on time. However at the end of the day, the temptation and inspiration to cook authentic traditional dishes got the better of me. I joined in a couple of weeks back, and decided to start with Modak.

I have often looked at the descriptions of these lovely rice flour dumplings stuffed with rich and gooey coconut but never been brave enough to try them. I made them following the recipe from mints on the website completely. This itself is a challenge for me not to try and improvise. I made this is with quite a bit of trepidation, but honestly this turned out very well. The first few modaks had slightly more covering that needed, but after shaping a couple I got the hang of this. As I see the other pictures, I shall get a better idea of how to shape them. The recipe is as follows.

Modak from Mints

Ingredients Needed

For the Stuffing -2 cups freshly grated coconut (she says you can use frozen unsweetened coconut - that is what I used)

1 cup jaggery (grated)

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1 tsp cardamom powder

one pinch nutmeg (optional)

2 tbsp water (her mom uses milk, I did that too)

For the outer layer or Cover -

1 cup rice flour

1.25 cup water

pinch of salt

1 tbsp oil

Method for preparing the Stuffing

Roast the poppy seeds in a small skillet and let it cool down. Grind it coarsely and keep it aside. In a heavy bottom pan, take add the grated jaggary, and the milk and melt. Add in the grated coconut. Keep stirring so that it does get burnt in the bottom.In about 5 -7 mins you will see the mixture getting solid, at this stage add the cardamom powder (I did not use nutmeg).

When you see the mixture turning yellowish, more like golden and sticking to the sides, you can turn off the flame add the poppy seeds powder, mix well and set it aside to cool down.

Method for preparing the outer cover

I used a pressure cooker container for this. Start boiling water and add the salt and oil.When water starts boiling, lower the heat and slowly add rice flour. The flour needs to be added gradually however the overall process is quite speedy. The end result here is a snowy smooth mixture.

Now close the lid and take the pot off the heat. Let the covered pot cool down for 15 minutes or so. At this point the dough needs to be further kneaded, I used my hands for this, but it is soft enough to use a mixing spoon. 1-2 tablespoons of flour can be added to make this more manageable, but actually the rice flour worked fine.

Making the Modak

For making the Modak divide the dough into 20 balls and the stuffing into equal size of 20 balls. These modaks need to be shaped closer to a garlic, my look like fat macaroons. You actually get moulds for these. Shape the rice flour mixture like a kachori, and place the coconut filling inside it. Cover and seal.

They get placed in a steamer and steamed for about 15 minutes. After that they are left to settle as is for 5-10 minutes. These are traditionally eaten with ghee. I was so curious to try them, I had them immediately.

Onion Ribbons

I have been a little troubled today with the news about Senator Kennedy, it somehow feels that the past few weeks have generally had sad news in the public sphere. It really did not help to hear that my son had "hit" a teacher in pre-school. What would possess this kid and why would he do this. I am not sure how to grapple or deal with such strange behaviour. I generally kept myself busy in the kitchen. I did what I always do, fuss around with food. I had these round Texas onions that I wanted to grill. These are different from the normal red onions that I get. I cut them into thick slices and then without realizing I separated a ring. I was quite surprised at the delicate texture, the red or yellow onion is denser. Without realizing, I did a few more and then proceeded to complete the exercise. I ended up with a cutting board full of onion ribbons. I drizzled these lightly with balsamic vinegar before grilling these ribbons and served them for dinner with shrimp.

I am sending this as an entry for Click a monthly photography event hosted over at Jugalbandi.

White lentils with beetgreens

When you work with beets, you also get plenty of beet greens. And when life gives you beet greens - make lentils. I have to confess, for some strange reason over the past several weeks I have been finding several unusual uses for lentils. It just is not something I would think of using in a Pasta sauce. Don't get me wrong, lentils fuel the engine of this house. It is one of the sure work foods with my kids and actually for that matter the "man and his family". Lentils for an Indian child is much like the rice and beans in a spanish household. I tried them this time with white lentils (urad dal).

Beetgreens while having a mild taste do have a stunningly pretty appearance. I loved pulling these out of the soil, cleaning them and enjoying the colors while I worked with them. Lentils are always a comforting dish for me to cook, I love the quite simplicity of the end product.

Urad Dal with Beetgreens and Garlic

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3/4 cup white lentils (urad dal)

2 tomatoes (coarsely chopped)

2 cups of chopped beet greens

2 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon finely diced garlic

2 dried red chillies

1 lime

Method of Preparation

1. Place the lentils in a pressure cooker and turn on the heat. Lightly dry roast the lentils till they are very lightly browned.

2. Add the tomatoes, beet greens, water, turmeric and salt and cook under pressure for about 15 minutes.

3. Cool and remove the pressure.

4. Heat the ghee and the oil and add the cumin and the garlic and cook till the garlic is lightly browned. Add in the red chillies and cook for about 10 more seconds.

5. Pour this seasoned oil over the lentils and mix lightly. Squeeze in the lime juice and enjoy.

I am sending this entry to two events, the monthly my legume love affair hosted by the well seasoned cook and the chard challenge at daily musings.

Red Therapy

A plate full I can deal with, a food processorful is daily fare, but there has been much more than usual going on. I am reaching the end of something I have worked on for a while but am really loosing steam on the project.

Also, my son is getting to a new phase, we are trying to get him more independent for next year. It might seem long, but is not that much in the real scheme of things. Aadi and I don't deal with change well. I am really struggling with little things like not helping him with the t-shirt that both of us know he can handle by himself. I have a harder time being firm with him. In general, there is just too much going on, as with other things when I am stressed out I cook. Lately I have been blogging a little more than usual, oh well there are worse things that I could be doing.The beetroots and the beetgreens are quite normal this time of the year, but yesterday I stared at the latest batch like I had never seen them before. Well, if you really focus on the vivid color it is truly quite stunning - hence beetroot red. Well, I have to confess now that I put this in perspective I dont think anyone other than the beet can mimic this stunning color. So it really is not an apt expression but then again, neither is turning tomato red.

I decided to capitalize on the natural sweetness of the vegetable and made beetroot halwa. This is my first attempt at making this, I have for some reason just not done much with beets except roasting them. I loved the results. I used lowfat milk some sugar and clarified butter.

We ate this greedily for breakfast before we set off on a one-day trip to explore the valley. You shall hear about that later.

Beetroot Halwa

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

6 small to medium sized beets

2 cups lowfat (2% milk)

3 cardamoms

1/2 cup sugar (adjust this to your taste)

2 tablespoons ghee

Toasted coconut to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Peel the beets and grate them in a food processor.

2. Place these in a heavy bottomed pan and pour the milk over the beets. The effect of the milk turning pink is quite dramatic.

3. Add in the cardamoms and cook the liquid on medium low heat stirring occasionally until the milk is almost evaporated, you can seed the beets again in clumbs with the thick liquid boiling away around the sides.

4. Add the sugar and continue cooking until all the liquid is evaporated.

5. Add the ghee and mix well the the mixture is a soft, dry glistening mass. I cook this to leave some texture in the dish, you can grate the beets finer for a completely mashed variation.

The theme for this month's Sugar High Friday is vegetables, so I am sending this red creation over to the expatriate kitchen, that is hosting the event for August. The event was started by the Domestic goddess.

Bhindi Do Piazza

It has become an interesting game, to see what every few days brings from the little backyard. I have to tell you I am surprised to see this year, how much we have been getting from such a little lot, that to with just Anshul tending to it, since my black thumb is not much use. His enthusiasm has been a joy for me.
Anyhow my children love bhindi or okra and feel rather sad that they cannot eat the spicy variation we get in restaurants. I do cook okra every week but it is a simple sauted version not the crispy fancy indian restaurant fare. I just cannot bear the thought of adding so much oil to a vegetable.
I tried baking this today and had really good results. I will make a few tiny tweaks the next time around in that I shall try to add the eggplant later. Do-piazza reffers to "double onions" I actually added two kinds here. This is how I made this dish.

Bhindi Dopiaza - Roasted Okra with pearl and red onions

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients

10 pearl onions, peeled, halved and sectioned
1 lbs okra, cut into slices tips and tops removed (note: wash the okra before cutting it)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil sray
1 tablespoon oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato coarsely chopped

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the okra on a baking dish in a single layer, add the salt, turmeric and cumin. Spray generously with cooking spray and place in the oven for 10 minutes. I added the onions with the okra and this overcrisped some of the onion, so I am suggesting adding the onion after 10 minutes and re-sprayng at this time. Cook for another 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil and add the red onion and saute lightly and then add the tomato and cook till somewhat soft, gently stir in the onions and okra and enjoy!

Rich and slow cooked chicken curry

This chicken curry is a little on the fussy side for a weeknight dinner, but yet all it took to produce a nice intense flavor is a little extra cooking time, some additional stirring and just a little more oil. Sometimes, I realize that time and a little extra patience is what makes good food memorable.

I did not make any luchis (puffed Indian bread), but this is what I would have liked with this curry, but did make some light lemon basmati rice. We had our friend Anju over and we enjoyed this with the rice and simple lentil creation that I shall share later. We were up late, drinking good wine, talking about good times. I did pay for this later through mugs of bad coffee at work, but sometimes we all need a break from the mundane.

Rich and Slow Cooked Chicken Curry

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients

2-3 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled

1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

2-3 green serrano chillies

2 tomatoes

1 bunch (about 1 cup) cilantro leaves and tender stems

2-3 cardamoms

3-4 cloves

1 large piece cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 dried red chili

4-5 tablespoons oil

1 cup chicken stock

2 lbs skinned chicken (I would recommend dark meat on the bone)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

Extra cilantro for garnishing

Method of Preparation

1. Grind the garlic, ginger, onion, green chillies, tomato and cilantro into a relative smooth puree.

2. Dry grind the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and red chili and set aside.

3. Heat the oil and add spice mixture and cook lightly. Add in the tomato puree and cook for a good 15 minutes, stirring as needed until the mixture is fairly dry and begining to get fried.

4. Add the stock if needed to let the mixture get well browned but not burnt.

5. Add in the chicken and salt and continue cooking on medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chicken should be brown and well coated with the spice mixture.

6. Stir in the remaining stock and simmer the chicken for about 10 minutes. The chicken should be nice and soft and there should be a good thick sauce.

7. Garnish with the cilantro and garam masala and serve.

Lemon Rice

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon oil or ghee

2-3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup basmati rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 lime

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil or ghee and add in the bay leaves and turmeric and cook for a few seconds.

2. Quickly add in the garlic and cook till the garlic is fragrant.

3. Add in the rice and the salt with 1 and 3/4 cups of water and bring the water to a simmer.

4. Squeeze in the lime juice. Cover and cook for 18 minutes at this point the rice should be a pale yellow mixture and the water should be absorbed.

5. Turn off the heat and leave the rice undistured for at least 5 minutes.

6. Remove the cover, fluff and serve.